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About this blog: The Raucous Caucus shares the southpaw perspectives of this Boomer on the state of the nation, the world, and, sometimes, other stuff. I enjoy crafting it to keep current, and occasionally to rant on some issue I care about deeply... (More)

About this blog: The Raucous Caucus shares the southpaw perspectives of this Boomer on the state of the nation, the world, and, sometimes, other stuff. I enjoy crafting it to keep current, and occasionally to rant on some issue I care about deeply. My long, strange career trip has included law and management jobs in two Fortune 50 companies, before founding the legal search and staffing firm Cushing Group, Recruiters. I've lectured on negotiation and settlement strategy, and teach graduate courses at Golden Gate University (Adjunct of the Year for a doctoral seminar on business, law and society). Illinois, Texas and California (Inactive) admitted me to law practice; I hold JD and MBA degrees from the University of Illinois, and a BGS from the University of Michigan, with Distinction. There -- Go Blue! Personally, my daughters are a lawyer in NY, and a pre-med student in NM - their lives-and-times often animate these columns. I'm active in animal advocacy matters, having led a citizen team that took Alameda's city animal shelter to a non-profit operation - we saved $600K annually and the lives of some 700 companion animals/year vs. the City's best alternative. I'm delighted with that success. My family has re-homed 144 foster animals over many years; we host four boisterous border collies of our own. Mostly for humane movement efforts, I was nominated for GQ magazine's 2009 Better Men, Better World Award. You may notice that many of my rants relate to critter issues. In addition to the Raucous Caucus blog, I frequently contribute to The BARK magazine, and am a proud Moderator emeritus on the popular news and humor website www.Fark.com. I prefer scotch over imported beer (Hide)

Beware Shiny Objects

Uploaded: Feb 9, 2017

“EVery time I think I’m Out … they drag me back In.”

Blogger’s note: So, I'm back for a time. I’ve not been certain I can commit to the regular schedule of the first 300 or so of these epistles. Pretty desperate times in our beloved country; scarce hours need to be invested where they may do some good. But it’s just such a target-rich environment, maybe I can do both.

‘They’, of course are the Trumpistas – an amateur troupe that has provided more than its share of spills and chills over its first fortnight. The incidents are so frequent, and many are so petty, that they strain the news cycle – remember inaugural size matters, or even ‘alternative facts?’ Those were the days, eh?

Today, all we had to deal with was a clumsy disparagement of the judiciary that would grade-out below C-level work in middle school civics, coupled with the midnight muzzling of a US Senator, as she read a letter on the floor from a civil rights icon. Strange days, indeed. In a saner era, the latter move would be correctly labeled a blatantly unconstitutional censoring of political speech, by the majority party, of a minority viewpoint, in a very citadel of democracy. Or it least it was such a fortress – stay tuned.

I believe the web might call it a continuing ‘Epic Flail.’ In the big picture, all this churning hasn’t accounted for much, but the manic and apparently chaotic pace itself has to raise concern. I have come to wonder whether there’s real method in this madness: the new guy's public bluster keeps the Regular Folks who elected him entertained and his critics in the streets, for now.

Meanwhile, he stocks his cabinet and the Court with denizens of the Masters of the Universe wing of the GOP (Exxon, Goldman Sachs(!)), -- who are more quietly preparing to promote the interests of their ilk -- the few, obscenely wealthy top-enders (who are not Regular Folks – The Rich are different). Is this how he intends to serve his two, very different masters?

It's also a kind of a rope-a-dope strategy to keep the press occupied and the general public outraged by the tawdry spectacle -- punching themselves into exhaustion in these early rounds like George Foreman in the jungle, on those easy targets like Betsy DeVos or the Bowling Green Massacre. Then the real dirty deeds are done – if not behind the scenes, at least while attention is diverted elsewhere. I mean – who can get excited about the roll-back of Dodd Frank protections against Big Bank excesses (yawn!), when he picks a fight with Australia?

Maybe I’m wrong. There’s also a theory that he’s a pawn in an internal power struggle ‘twixt the Bannon bomb throwers and the more proper Preibites. Witness the contrast between the immigration Order idiocy (process And substance) and the relatively professional roll-out of the relatively professional Gorsuch nomination.

I hope it’s the latter. Until we know more, best to settle-in for a long fight – and beware those shiny objects, dangled to divert.

Posted by RozRogoff,
a resident of San Ramon,
on Feb 9, 2017 at 2:04 pm

Tom,

I didn't vote for Donald Trump (not Hillary either), and I have my doubts about his qualifications to be President, but I'm not opposed to all of his cabinet appointments yet. In fact I'm optimistic about Betsy DeVos and plan to write a blog about her this afternoon. So this comment is to plug my blog, which should be posted later today. Even though I announced my retirement from blogging, Trump is the gift that keeps on giving to us bloggers.

Roz -- I think it's a very swampy cabinet, for a guy who never intended to drain it in favor of the Common Wo/man. And lest anyone (other than Am, of course) sign-on to the silly proposition that it's their wealth per se that I'm concerned about -- I would welcome Warren Buffett to be Sec'y of the Treasury, and Starbucks' Howard Schultz to run Labor. And welcome back!

Thanks, Jim!

Michael: you're willing to assume very many things. Glad you got that off your chest, anyway.

Trump is amusing.
I'm not concerned who anybody votes for.
The new cabinet is going to get into legal trouble real quick! Like now...
I must admit that I appreciate Senators Graham and McCain.
I miss Bernie Sanders!

Posted by Michael Austin,
a resident of Pleasanton Meadows,
on Feb 9, 2017 at 5:43 pmMichael Austin is a registered user.

Tom:

I am pleased that you are back blogging.
Don't know why you stopped.
I wandered if you may be on medical leave, or traveling!
I missed not having a blog of yours to read.
I appreciate you time and energy editing the Cholo commentary.
I did not see the Cholo commentary that you edited.
I will not assume that the Cholo commentary impacted me.
Also, I am pleased to learn that Roz will be posting a blog soon.
I hope there are many more Roz blogs to follow.

Posted by rosalindr,
a resident of San Ramon,
on Feb 9, 2017 at 11:41 pmrosalindr is a registered user.

Michael,

Thanks for the support. I just posted my blog on Betsy DeVos and how I see the purpose of the Department of Education. You may be surprised that I support her efforts in privatizing public education, but not in the way she proposed it. My proposals are more specific and really fit into the realm of product development. I look forward to your comments, and yours too, Tom.

Posted by Arlene Curtin,
a resident of Hacienda Gardens,
on Feb 14, 2017 at 1:29 pm

The once great state of California is a shadow of what it once was, and we have the Democrats to blame. Our budget is again unbalanced due to "a shortfall in anticipated revenues". Really? Are our politicians so incompetent that they cannot even balance a simple budget? The citizens of this state do not want to be in debt now or in the future. When the state will pay for every entitlement for both legal and illegal residents, insane pet projects of the political elite such as the high-speed rail to nowhere, how can you expect any other result? The residents of this state are sick and tired of fiscal mismanagement, coddling criminals, no accountability!!!